Historical! A Colombian will preside over the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves

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Gersson Rosas did not achieve this achievement overnight: he first went through the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mav's. Here his story

The history of Colombian Gersson Rosas is a new example of systematic and gradual self-improvement. This is how suddenly, Colombia, a country with little tradition in basketball, got in the same year two representatives in the best league in the world. First, Brian Angola at the Orlando Magic, who has still not played. Now, Rosas, who was already linked to the NBA for several years, has finally reached his great opportunity for consecration, as president of a team, an absolutely unprecedented event.

Leer en español: ¡Histórico! Un colombiano presidirá a los Minnesota Timberwolves de la NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves also made history by being the first NBA franchise team to place their trust in such a mission in a Latino, specifically of Colombian blood. Absolutely unprecedented. Rosas has been building a career in the best basketball in the world that is almost 20 years old, in which he was climbing positions until becoming vice president of the Houston Rockets, his most recent role, in addition to a short three-month internship for the Dallas Mavericks as general manager, according to El Espectador.

The challenge from now looks impressive, because Rosas must replace a basketball man with a lot of experience as is Tim Thibodeau, who, until last season, shared the work as an executive and team coach with results that do not encourage, especially in the very complicated West Conference circuit.

It is when you build careers over time, that the results are obtained naturally. Rosas also served as a scout for the international team of the United States that won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. There is one thing for sure: the Colombian won the confidence of the Americans.

"Gersson has been an amazing person to work with, he has clearly been overqualified for his work for some time, he deserves it, although I would have liked him to have gone to an Eastern team. We are going to have now an extremely competitive rival," Houston Rockets president Daryl Morey told ESPN, and replicated by El Espectador.

A Latino of relevance in the NBA, in this case the Dominican Al Horford, wing of the Boston Celtics, also praised Rosas: "his impact has been really immense, I had the opportunity to share with him the Basketball Without Borders event. He is one of those men who always encourages the NBA to become more involved in Latin America."

Step by Step

Of course, it is impossible not to wonder how a Colombian has such influence in the NBA. It is as if a Puerto Rican were president of a Premier League club, to make an analogy. Rosas was born in Bogotá, but moved with his parents to Houston since he was a child, and it was there, in Houston, where, over the years, his passion for the 'Sport of the Giants' was born.

So much so that he once told this: "I knew in high school who is my wife today and she asked me: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' And I knew I wanted to be part of the NBA and be a general manager. "

He started at the collegiate stage with the Rockets of the G-League before becoming vice president of the main team franchise. "I want to see Latinos in every part of the NBA: on the side of the offices, the coach, the game and the corporate side, and knowing that I can motivate someone or give someone the hope that I can do it is very special to me," the Colombian had pointed out in the month of March, in a kind of premonition of what fate had prepared for him.

Revista Semana adds that Rosas was also a manager on the school team of Westbury Christian High School, the season in which they were state monarchs, 2002-03. Gerson decided to return to his Alma Mater, the University of Houston, to be an assistant in the 2003-04 season and as a result of his work, the interest of Rio Grande Valley's, a subsidiary of the Rockets in the G-League, the Development League of the NBA, was born. This experience was key because there our character clicked on the management area.

"My road to the NBA was long. What motivated me most was the passion for basketball and that made me think about working in teams, evaluating talent and selecting players," said the Colombian. As vice president of the Rockets, Rosas was responsible for the evaluation, development, recruitment, and change of players, as well as statistics and case studies with the medical team, referred Semana.

New stop: Minnesota

The Timberwolves announced Rosas with drums and cymbals. "We are excited that Gersson is leading our basketball operations department and I am confident that with his experience he will bring many successes to our organization," said Glen Taylor, owner of the Twolves.

"I love this job for Gersson, he's close to the players and I think they're going to love him, if he learned something from Morey it was how to form a team and I think it's going to help him win," explained former player Tracy MacGrady, who appreciated the fact that Gersson was formed with one of the best leaders of the NBA: Daryl Morey.

Finally, the new Colombian president left a phrase to begin his new path in a franchise that needs to reverberate laurels. "This is a special opportunity in a great place and I am excited to pursue the goals of this franchise, to turn it into a world class organization with a model of sustainable success and from which its fans can feel proud," reflected Infobae.

LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano

Translated from "¡Histórico! un colombiano presidirá a los Minnesota Timberwolves de la NBA"